Judging by the average holiday film, Christmas is filled with love, compassion, giving, smiles, and pure white snow. But in reality? Well, just look at the statistics. The holidays are the loneliest time of year, with the weather and the forced frivolity collaborating to make people more depressed than they are at any other time. If youre not filled with melancholy, youre utterly stifled by the materialism and gift-grabbing that threatens to crush us all. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a real thing, and for tons of people it's very difficult to feel happy when it's cloudy and snowing and your body is getting like zero Vitamin D. And there's something about seeing everyone else look happy and #blessed around the holidays (whether they actually are or just faking it) that makes you sort of wonder what the hell you're doing wrong. And cloyingly upbeat Christmas movies are just another aspect of that -- they give us all unrealistic expectations of what holidays are actually supposed to be like. With all this in mind, its refreshing to see the few movies that tell things as they are, and reflect the simple truth that Christmas just isnt as much fun once you stop worshipping Santa.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
